Holiday accommodation in Corsica

If you want to do it yourself, some of the places listed in the information sheet on Corsican Villages and Towns (download by clicking here) list hotels and self-catering villas, gîtes, apartments and the like, as do several of the sites in the Guides section of the Corsican Websites page. The Mairies of villages often have old converted buildings to let. If you do book your accommodation yourself and need car hire, just click here.

There is a large selection of villas for holiday letting in our partner site Corsica Holiday.

Corsica Isula does not offer a classified holiday accommodation list, since there are so many sources of information on the web and to do it properly would be a full time job! Options are set out here and provide you with a way to start looking. Nonetheless, here are a few places, that have something 'special' to offer.

Corsica Isula has arranged a special offer for car hire in Corsica. The way it works is that the best deals in each car category from different car hire majors is made available to you. this saves you messing around trying to find the best deals. So, click here for Corsica Isula Car Hire.

Kinds of Accommodation

There is a wide variety of holiday accommodation available in Corsica.

In self-catering, there are gîtes, which come in two varieties, those converted houses, barns and the like that have been state subsidised and are therefore highly controlled; and those which have been done up by individuals without grant aid. There are gîtes d'étapes, which are for walkers, long distance riders and sometimes have associated restaurant and camping facilities. Good examples include the municipal one at Calinzana at the start of the GR20 (04 95 65 77 13 or gite-calenzana @ wanadoo.fr), or the private one, L'Alzelli at Tuani (Manso - Dominique Leca: tel 04 95 62 01 75) in the Fango valley - the latter has three dorms of 8 beds, a camp site, a restaurant right by wonderful river bathing. Some limit the number of nights you can stay at a stretch. Gîtes ruraux in the villages are also frequently in converted properties owned by the municipality. An example is the municipal one at Avapessa (tel 04 95 61 74 10) in the Balagne. You could always try the monasteries (couvents) if that's your thing - look them up in the yellow pages under communautés religieuses.

Of course there are villas, with and without pools and apartments, in both old converted houses, small blocks or new purpose-built buildings and some in complexes with pools. There are bungalows or mini-villas often grouped in charming settings. All these exist both inland and near the sea. There are 'holiday clubs', which are generally not clubs as such, but kind of sub Club Med operations, with or without restaurants. By the way, there are two Club Meds on the island at Cargese and Sant' Ambroggio, near Calvi.

Camping sites provide the greatest volume of holiday accommodation and are very popular with French, Italian and German holiday-makers and as anywhere else, they vary in quality. Eurocamp offers an all-found camping experience at Ghisonaccia, where they provide all the camping gear - all you have to do is turn up!

There are hotels from the luxury class (four stars) to family hotels (one or more likelt, two stars). There are also Résidences de Tourisme or Hôtelières; these vary from groups of serviced flats to holiday blocks with organised activities. A growing number of auberges (generally the term means a rustic restaurant) have rooms, especially in the interior. There is the special category of fermes auberges as well. Though more are being encouraged and created all the time, there are not many B&Bs. Some, even use the English term. There are chambres d'hôtes, which are pretty much the same thing. The number of these too, is growing in response to demand. The people offering them sometimes do tables d'hôtes also - ie offering an evening meal, generally with a fixed menu, but if not they'll be able to point you in the direction of a nearby restaurant. The B&B formula is not as widespread as in Ireland, say, and agrotourism is not as widespread as in Italy, but this is growing quickly too. The two chambers of agriculture have a guide to farm accommodation (Bienvenue à la Ferme).

The British tour operators provide gîte, hotel, villa and apartment accommodation, as do the Offices de Tourisme (download the list by clicking here) in the main towns of the island and several of the latter publish accommodation brochures. If you visit the village websites of Corsica, you'll often find accommodation not listed elsewhere (download a list of them, by clicking here).

Visitors to Corsica frequently ask me about long term out-of-season lets. They are quite difficult to find, but if you'd like one in the Balagne - contact Anne Gibbs of Kalliste Holidays Ltd - based in Ile Rousse.

A good restaurant guide is the Guide Restaurants de Corse, which is published every year by MédiaTerra.

Special for US visitors

For Americans who want to experience a cultural immersion into the authenticity of Corsica, Kalliste Tours, based in California, isoffering unique and intimate tours designed for groups of 6 to 10 people maximum. The creator and proprietor, France Louvet is French. She grew up and lived in Corsica, now resides in California and she escorts personally each themed tour.

Self-catering

While Corsica Isula does not set out to be an accommodation guide or agency, there are some suggestions set out below. Also, there are many agencies both located in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and other countries, as well as in Corsica.

An example of the former is the business run by the founders of the tour operator Corsican Places, who just could not keep away after they sold the company. They have now set up directCorsica which puts you in direct contact with owners who let their Corsican properties. If you'd rather they handle bookings for you, they'll do that too - and organise flights.

Another good place to try is Kalliste Holidays. First of all because they are based here, second because Anne Gibbs who runs it is Corsican (her husband is British). She has a growing number of good offerings of gîtes, flats and villas in the Balagne (NW) - and offers a search service to find exactly what you want.

A web search will lead you to many agencies here in Corsica.  For example, if you're looking for villas in the Balagne, try Pierre Calassa of the Agence Casa Bella - he speaks English. There is also a growing listing of villas and such at Terra Bella . Another agency that deals with 50 high class villas is www.villas-du-sud.com. Pricey, but worth taking a look. Clévacances is an agency operating in north Corsica and part of a national chain run by local government; you can look at the hundreds of properties and rooms on line or order a catalogue. For luxury villas, largely in the south, you could try www.corsevilla.com. You can also try Louez en Corse - they have villas and flats, mainly in the south; you can specify correspondence in English when you enquire or book. Another site you might try is locationcorse.

The Gîtes de France Corsican section (BP 10 20181 Ajaccio, Cedex 01/ tel 04 95 10 06 14) can send you a list of chambres d'hôtes - B&Bs. They publish an excellent printed guide to their gîte properties also and you are likely not to be disappointed by these lettings. The guide is very well organised and though it's basically in French, there is a good English language description of how to read it - and each gite entry is marked with a union jack to signify that the owners speak English. Once you get the hang of how it works, you'll find the guide an excellent source of private lets. In addition, it's almost a mini guide to Corsica. The details of the properties are regimented and offer only one photo. However I think you can get a good idea of what the place is like and certainly if what you seek is a traditional house/flat, the the Gites Guide is the place to look.

For mountaineers, walkers, cyclists and other outdoor sporty types, a good site is www.gites-refuges.com by Serge Mouraret. Under Corse, it lists more than 80 gites and refuges. If you go to www.herbergement-corse.com, you'll find some gites arranged by area with prices and quality ratings, but you'll have to contact them individually.  

More self-catering options across the island on  Holidaybank  and Corsica Holiday.

Some self-catering examples in the North

A good Calvi address is the Résidence Nord-Sud. It is a post-Corbusier building by André Lucat and is listed. It sits at the foot of the citadel on rocks above the sea. It has self-contained serviced apartments with a swimming pool. Francois & Sylvaine Mathieu will welcome you and you can pre-book online. It's a building that was one of the earliest chic hotels in Calvi in 1930, designed by André Lucat, a friend of Le Corbusier. Illustrious visitors included Orson Welles, Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier. Also in Calvi is the so-called motel, though it's not, Bel Ombra. It's right in the middle of town and you could stay there without personal transport. The rooms are reasonably priced and each one has cooking facilities, so you could use the place as self-catering. Even in high season  a room for two people is very reasonable. 

Dumane fara ghjornu - tomorrow is another day

If you want to visit a remote and beautiful village above the Tartagine river and looked down upon by Monte Padru - well away from the mass of people in summer, get details and tariffs for self-catering accommodation in this isolated hamlet of 24 souls. The curé's presbytery has been converted into several holiday flats equipped to a very high standard and the views are not extra. These gîtes can be contacted via the Vallica Mairie - the Mayor is Mme Michelle Antoniotti, who speaks a few words of English (tel 04 95 61 90 15 or fax, since the Mairie is not always open, 04 95 61 92 76).

Also in the north, there are interesting gîtes built and run by Jacques and Mireille Tercé, not far from Calvi: they make use of natural materials and are built of tuf bricks (a kind of compressed granite with lime) and they recently built a well-fed pool, with natural water, like a river pool - visit www.paradella.com to take a look. Mireille also has a raku pottery workshop. Jacques is a honey producer, among other things.

Here's another special place: the Tours de Tevola at Carcheto in the chestnut microregion of the Castagniccia. There are a small group of medieval fortress tower houses, which have been lovingly updated by Jean-Claude Rogliano, a writer of Corsican myths and stories and his wife Danielle. There's a pool on the edge of the mountain and if you are that way disposed, you're likely to become friends with the Roglianos and other visitors. Visit their website, where you can learn about Jean-Claude's writings also: perso.wanadoo.fr/les-tours-de-tevola/.

Another secret of the Castagniccia lies in the village of Salicetu, not far from Morasaglia, the birthplace of Pasquale Paoli. It is a gîte recently modernised by Bernard and Agnes Simonpietri (+ 33 4 95 48 41 43) in an ancient village house in this small village (15 people in winter). It has spectacular views from its perched terrace. It appears in no guides and you will be welcome in the same building as the workshop of Lana Corsa (see them on the website www.lana-corsa.com) four women who make wonderful Corsican woollen products. It has a big livingroom and kitchen, a bedroom and bathroom and would be very comfortable for up to four people.

 In Stoppia Nova, a very small Castagniccia village between Morasaglia and La Porta, there are two traditional houses - Casa Valentini and Casa Guidici, restored by Félix & Anita Tomasi. They produce chestnuts and mill chestnut flour as well as having a small shop in the village.

 If you like Calvi, there's an excellent offering - it's Casa paradis, the home of Nicky & Paul.  The owners move out to their boat in summer and let their home right in the centre of the town, convenient for everything. It's a modernised traditional town house that will sleep up to 8.

Just around the corner in Calvi and also great for those who'd like a holiday without a car in a lively holiday town on the coast with a great history are the 3 flats in a small private development - Casa Matteu - belonging to André Mattei. They are luxurious, each with three bedrooms and have satellite tv and dvd; there's also a mini pool in this small block.

Another Calvi option is one of the Villas de Ronduli (www.villas-ronduli.com) that belong to the Simeoni family. There are four four-bed villas, each with their own private swimming pool. They are excellently situated (400m to the beach) and you can walk into town. The picture shows one of the villas, that are expertly managed by Juliet (an Anglo-Corsican, born in Calvi) and José Novoa. Juliet speaks English and French obviously, plus Spanish & Italian.

Another delightful place you might like is in town - right in the heart of Bastia's citadel on the third floor of the Baroque presbytery with wonderful sea views. It sleeps six and more details can be had from the English owner, Suzanne on 00 33 6 12 99 15 53.

Stéphane Clemot who runs Calvi's sailing club is now offering a delightful, very simple house    'in the maquis' but only 6 kms from the sea and 8 from Calvi, though with its private swimming pool, you might not bother about that too much; you can see the place on the locations-france site (there's about 200 Corsican properties there) - the link takes you straight to his property.

Sally & Paul Dewey left England a few years ago and have devotedly restored an olive mill in the high Balagne at the delightfully named village of Ville di Parasu; they now let it in the summer and you can find details at the holiday-rentals site.

There's a wonderful C18 Corsican manor house available at Olmi Capella in the Guissani owned by Janet and Iain Rankin. It sleeps 10 and has all facilities. .

Or how about a gite in a monastery?  This is I Fioretti at Canari in Cap Corse. You can't get more traditional than that. Flats and monks cells, well...

In Cap Corse, the wild finger of the island in the north, try A Sulana at Olmetadi Capi Corsu - self catering flats in a lovely old house, overlooking the sea.

Some self-catering examples in the South

In the south, near Porto Vecchio are some small well-appointed flats called Bois des Pins owned and let by the Parkers, an English couple. You can also live there in long winter lets - make contact with Gilly Parker via her website.

Also in the south, if you like the idea of a traditional Corsican house, how about this: one in Zicavo or if you'd like to be 500 metres from the sea at Agosta Plage on the Gulf of Ajaccio, you could try Rosalind Fiamma - an Englishwoman who has been here ages. Her website is www.corsicaconnect.com.

There is a very striking set of ancient houses and apartments in a 2000 hectare estate by Rocapina Bay between Sartène and Bonifacio; they are expensive and glorious, they look well worth checking out at www.murtoli.com. .

Some say that Palombaggia beach south of Porto Vecchio is Corsica's finest. Only 800 metres away up the hillside are sixteen mini-villas called the Belvédère de Palombaggia Résidence de Tourisme; they are well equipped and have either one or two bedrooms. .

Here is something different: Simon Snell and Laura Cecil have a 5-acre organic smallholding called Pratu (www.corsica-incompany.com) at Petreto Bicchisano near Propriano, where they offer themed breaks and self-catering accommodation in a chalet or 2 woodland cabins.  They also offer minibus tours for up to eight people with commentary in either English or French.  .

And here's another self-catering villa to loook at, on the coast just north of Porto-Vecchio, near the village of Pinarellu.  The van der Donk family from the Netherlands offer a spacious villa (with swimming pool), and it will be ready for letting in 2009.  See villa-corsica.info for details.

Some self-catering examples on the East Coast

Quite different to what's above and if you're after a relaxed beach holiday, try Sognu di Mare at Bravone on the east coast. These holiday flats are very well managed (by Martina Solinas, the wife of the man who developed them). The advantage of these places, apart from the quality of the offer and the fact that they are right next to the beach, is their convenient location, if you want to explore Corsica - north, south or the centre or Corsica .

Camping sites

Camping sites in Corsica are very variable in quality. Some of the most appealing are those with the least facilities, such as those around gites d'étapes (one I'd recommend is at Tuarelli by the Fango river in the west of the island), or of course, the camping plots at the refuges on the GR 20 mountain path. There is a chain of 'quality' camping sites called Corsica Camping and they have a website . Another guide you could try is Camping France - Corsica.

Among the better equipped and managed ones is an 'Anglo-Corsican' one called La Vetta - it means the peak, among several other things - near Porto Vecchio in the south. Try their site: www.campinglavetta.com .

A Dutchman, Wilbert Geers has produced an excellent database (in excel) of Corsican Campsites. Wilbert has added a super map of Corsica with comprehensive listing of sites with direct links where they exist. The (few) notes are in Dutch, but don't let that put you off, because the information is all there (and requires no Dutch, double or otherwise) and there are hyperlinks to the websites of the campsites where they exist.

Here's one you'll not find in any guide book: you'll need not to imagine shower blocks, groceries, cafés... If you are a serious camper/hicker and are on your way to the GR20, via the Forest of Bonifatu at the northern end, then try Jean-Louis Guidoni, a Calinzana shepherd (goats) who has opened the bergerie of Frassigna on the road from Calvi to Bonifatu as a 'bivouac' site; he and his wife Sandrine not only have goats and make Calinzana cheese, but have pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys, horses... in a wonderful site near the river. Good walking from there and you can buy organic produce. Jean-Louis speaks English having lived in Australia for five years; he's also setting up an archery trail with immitation wild animal targets.

Finally, as mentioned above, there's Eurocamp at Ghisonaccia.  This is an all-found site where they provide the tents and all the gear. If you don't want to drive down with your own camping stuff, or lug it with you on the aeroplane, this could be a good option.

Hotels

If you'd like to look for a hotel, try www.hotelscorse.com - it lists them by category in seven regions of Corsica, or www.hotelcorse.net. The site Annucorse lists over 100 accommodations. The site www.corsica-net.com has an excellent listing of hotels (699), gites, villas and campsites - the only trouble is that it gives no details, only telephone numbers, but once you have the names, you can try to see if they have a website. A Corsica-based hotel booking agency is CorsicaBella who have a website . Another is destination-corse, whose site is partly available in English and offer 'specials' including flights from Marseille or Nice and hire car as well as accommodation (you can get cheap flights to Marseille and Nice).  And there's a new French hotel booking site called e-romantic hotels with a number of hotels across the island.

The Accor group have three high quality hotels on the island - there is the Sofitel Thalassa and the Coralia Club Porticcio Marina Viva, both at Porticcio, and the Mercure Ajaccio in Corsica's bustling capital.

There's an association of 15 inns, Casa Toia, many of which member hotels and auberges are delightful. They have a site - (www.sitec.fr/auberges), but unfortunately you cannot see details of the member establishments. There is also the hotel grouping Logis de France. It has 17 Corsican member hotels.

There is a group of pleasant hotels in the Calvi area that can be contacted via www.calvi-location.fr, or you can contact them direct via info @ resa-hotels-calvi.com

Hotels.com also has a few properties in Corsica.

Some hotel examples in the North

The Hôtel Mare e Monti (tel 04 95 63 02 00) is a maison de maître at Felicetu (in the mountains about 20 mins from the sea, Ile Rousse and Calvi) has been run by Mr and Mrs Renucci for 43 years. It was the family home of the uncle who made a fortune in Puerto Rico, as you can see from this fresco on the ceiling of the entrance hall: . They have progressively and sensitively updated the rooms so they are both done in simple and charming decor as well as having excellent bathrooms. They have added a swimming pool and in season there's a restaurant. One son is an architect, the other, Bernard, produces an excellent Vin de Corse Calvi in the village (the cave is opposite the hotel).

Nearby is the excellent Restaurant Chez Léon (at the Hotel San Dumé) at Catteri for those who find the Mare e Monti restaurant shut.

An interesting place to stay for those who like the rustic and cultural is the Casa Musicale in Pigna (Balagne). The food there is also very good and Corsican. Also in Pigna is U Palazzu (www.hotel-palazzu.com) a very small hotel in the converted ancestral home of Dominique Franceschini. Built with his own fair hands in stone, Jean Giovanetti's A Tramula inn at Pioggiola in the Guissani, will offer you a Corsican welcome throughout the year. There are five modern bedrooms in an idyllic setting with three nearby restaurants - he does packed lunches). Le Patio at Corbara ( www.location.corbara.com) comes recommended by a friend and has a range of accommodation in a traditional setting.

Catherine Montilliet, runs a family hotel in Calvi: it's a quiet place set above the town with a panoramic view of the bay; her prices are highly reasonable: www.hotel-les-aloes.com. If you want luxury, no-one in Corsica does it better than Jean-Pierre Pinelli at La Villa Hotel in Calvi, one of the Relais and Chateauxchain ( www.hotel-lavilla.com). Its chef Christope Bacquié has just been awarded his first Michelin star. Nearby is the town of Ile Rousse and above it is the picturesque village of Monticello - and there, JoJo Martini and his family have a very welcoming small hotel overlooking the gulf. Their restaurant offers high quality Corsican fare cooked by his daughter. It's called A Pasturella.

A Flatta (www.aflatta.com) is a delightful small hotel (5 luxury bedrooms with 5 more planned) - a Corsican secret hideaway in the maquis - don't be daunted by 3kms of track to reach this haven - run by Joel Guerini and Sophie Anquetil (he's a scion of the famous Calinzana (or Calenzana in French) family and she is the daughter of the legendaryJacques Anquetil, the cyclist about whom she's written a personal biography - Pour l'Amour de Jacques published by Grasset)- with high standards atCalinzana in the Balagne, with a wonderful restaurant (chef Ludovic Quinton) and a pool with views of the Bay of Calvi - you can make reservations on line. It offers seminar accommodation as well.

Another charming establishment is the Hôtel Stella Mare at Algajola. It is discreet and charmingly decorated. It is a two star but with a four star welcome! The Levy family have owned this 16-bedroom hotel two minutes from the beaches of Algajola for many years and have this winter made extensive investments. It's run by the second generationSandrine Levy (stellamare2 @ wanadoo.fr) and she aims at quiet comfort for the guests who may eat at the hotel or many of the restaurants in this, one of the few villages in Corsica by the sea.

An excellent hotel with charming hosts - the brother and sister team of Pascal & Marie Benvenuti - is the Hotel de l'Europe on the port at St Florent. They have an excellent restaurant too. You can visit their website ( www.hotel-europe2.com), but it does not do them justice.

As an afterthough: many people ask about lodging in Bastia, when they have an early or late flight or ferry. A place recommended is the Central Hotel, an old converted family house right in the centre of the town and run by the owner, Madame de la Paillonne. Jean-Nicholas Antoniotti has built a modern 71-bed three-star hotel where you'll get the 'international' standards to which you may be used. The Corsica Hotel (Best Western) is in Bastia city and he's building a sister one in Ajaccio.

Some hotel examples in the South

The Accor group have three high quality hotels on the island - there is the Sofitel Thalassa and the Coralia Club Porticcio Marina Viva, both at Porticcio, and the Mercure Ajaccio in Corsica's bustling capital.

The Roc e Fiori Hôtel (in the Chateaux & Hôtels de France chain) in the hamlet of Bocca del'Oro is just south of Porto Vecchio, but away from the main road and very near the super beach at Cala di Folaca (one away from the well-known Palombaggia and much nicer! The hotel is charmingly run by Isabelle Profizi. All the rooms have their own private terraces and are close to the lovely pool and the main hotel with its restaurant. Left are the pool and jacuzzi and here are the rooms. 

There's a simple hotel in the wonderful village of Piana high above the sea on the west coast. The Hotel Mare e Monti. Check it out: www.mare-e-monti.com.

Some hotel examples in the Centre

If you like the idea of a holiday in the centre of Corsica, you may like to visit The Bergeries of Capanoso - they offer various simple accommodations and restaurant facilities around a swimming pool; they also do shooting and fishing holidays.

If you want to be in the middle of Corsica to enable visits in any direction, while lodging in an excellent hotel in a superb situation, try Paesotel E Caselle, near Venaco. It has been run for more than 30 years by the Pagnis, father and son. Jean will give you a very warm welcome. The hotel and bungalows are built from river stones and sit right near the Vecchio river. You can choose between the hotel or the self catering chalets. It is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery and you can bathe in the river or the swimming pool. Jean has in mind to run courses in the winter - fishing, cooking or whatever and he can fix up many different kinds of activity.

The Hotel de Monte d'Oro at Vizzavona is well known to Corsicans and Fredericka (Dorothy) Carrington used to spend time up there in the summer to get away from the heat of Ajaccio where she lived. This amazing place probably hasn't changed a lot since the first visit in 1933 of my table neighbour the other day. It's a wonderful spot for seeing the central mountains and sites like the Cascade des Anglais, made famous by many C19 travellers such as Edward Lear. For a half-way house on the GR20, it might be a welcome relief to weary walkers. It'd make a great place to escape the beaches and spend a couple of days up there in the pine forests, especially if you took the train from Bastia, Ajaccio or the Balagne.

From Corte there stretches a magnificent gorge - the Restonica - that goes up towards the volcanic lakes of Melu and Capitellu (great walking). At the beginning there are three hotels. Recommended the first, despite it's slightly off-putting name: Les Jardins de la Galcière. It's a simple two-star place with a pool, right beside the torrent. There's no restaurant (big breakfast room by the pool), but the owners have joined forces with Le Refuge, 500 metres up the road (downhill to bed) that's also a hotel.

Another Corte Hotel to check out is the Hotel Duc de Padoue.  Based in Pascal Paoli's mountain fastness, this three star establishment is in fact named after a general in the army of Napoleon, another famous Corsican.

Bed & Breakfast

The two chambers of agriculture publish a booklet called Bienvenue à la Ferme, which lists fermes auberges, gîtes ruraux, chambres d'hôtes, campings à la ferme, fermes équestres. It is also available on line.

Some B&B examples in the North

Elise & Gilles Medori have B&B and holiday lets in the little Cap Corse village of Figarella; they speak English and Gilles may entertain you with songs and guitar (04 95 33 25 65) - they come highly reccommended by my son's family.

Jean-Pierre Corteggiani & Isabelle Paschetta do B&B ( La Casaloha) near Galeria in a wild part of Corsica (south of Calvi) with wonderful walking, mountain river swimming in this UNESCO protected valley, as well as not being far from the beach.

Cap Corse is an amazing place - great for walkers, lovers of fine wine and people who just like to get away from it all.  Joseph & Willi run a wonderful 19th century mansion called Maison Casanova in Sisco ( www.maisoncasanova.com).  The house is steeped in Corsica's colonial history and he is currently offering two suites for hire - prices and historical background on the site.  The house is pictured on our main travel page, on the right hand side.

In the High Balagne village of Muro, there's C16 manor house Casa Theodora in which Alex & Myriam Gianninelli do B&B accommodation. Alex is a painter and he has restored a fifth of this amazing historic house. Frescoes, wall paintings and original features abound. The space is generous to say the least. There are various terraces and maybe unique in Corsica there's an indoor heated swimming pool in the vaulted cellars! Make a visit and be delighted. Unfortunately, their website is presently unavailable, but you can call - 04 95 61 78 32.  

Some B&B examples in the Centre

This is l'Osteria di l'Orta at Corte, Antoine & Marina Guelfucci's chambres & table d'hôtes, or otherwise a mini hôtel. It's the old family home renovated as a ferme-auberge, since they produce a lot of what they serve in the restaurant. the website is very accessible and you can book online to eat or stay. The Osteria is very well positioned for tourism in central Corsica - and going both south an north. You can walk into the centre of Corte, but the house is surrounded by 20 hectares or so of sheep fields. Here's the Pascal Paoli suite (an ancestor was secretary to Paoli when exiled in London: .

Here is another 'secret': Antoine Valentini and his wife Jeannie run the U San Gavinu chambres and table d'hôtes near Corte. She says "we like to be hidden and small" (tel 04 95 61 02 88). Antoine used to be a shepherd and he set out 15 or so years ago to show that the natural resources of Corsica could be used in creative ways - he runs Kyrn Flor distilling essential oils, with his son Jean. The main stone house has rooms, all with en suite bathrooms and there are two houses next door with additional space. There's a magnificent hilltop swimming pool with almost 360° mountain views. They are very well placed nor only for the centre of Corsica, but also for north and south. They are 3 Kms south of Corte on the RN 193 - you will see the Kyrn Flor sign on the left hand side.

Also in central Corsica, is the B&B of Antoinette and Charles ( www.antoinette-et-charles.fr.st in St Pierre de Venaco, where you can also take your evening meal together with other guests in this traditional stone house, set among 300 year-old chestnut trees. They also offer 3 dormitories of 4-5 beds (gîte d'étape). The couple can also advise on local amenities and walks.